Replies

U.S. Senator Conrad Burns (R – Mont.)

“I was pleased with many of the border security provisions in this bill, but I cannot, in good conscience, support a bill with so many provisions that provide amnesty to illegal immigrants,” said Senator Burns.

VOTED FOR preventing aliens from receiving Social Security benefits as a result of illegal work history. Senator Burns believes illegal aliens often steal social security numbers to gain employment and should not be rewarded with Social Security payments.

VOTED FOR (cosponsor) declaring English as the national language of the United States. Senator Burns has long supported efforts to make English the national language.

http://burns.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInfo.EmailMe

Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)

“I believe strengthened border security and comprehensive immigration reform are very important. As a nation, we have welcomed generations of legal immigrants over the course of our history--immigrants who respect the law and contribute a great deal to our country. The immigration reform package in the Senate addresses increased border security, but also rewards those who have broken the law by granting them a direct path to citizenship. It allows current illegal immigrants to receive the full array of federal benefits, but fails to reform our current immigration policy for those who want to come to America legally,” Burr said.

http://burr.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home

Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV)

I oppose this amnesty bill – absolutely and unequivocally. I oppose this effort to waive the rules for lawbreakers, and to legalize the unlawful actions of undocumented workers and the businesses that illegally employ them.

http://byrd.senate.gov/byrd_email.html

U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.,

“I believe this bill is a bad bill -- it puts more emphasis on amnesty than on border security. Regardless of where Georgians stand on dealing with the current illegal population, the constant refrain I hear from constituents is, ‘secure the border.’ If we do not secure the border and have serious interior and worksite enforcement, then we have accomplished nothing. The magnitude of the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States is astounding, and we must work to provide more Border Patrol agents, better infrastructure, additional checkpoints and the use of the latest technology available. …This bill is an amnesty bill -- that’s the bottom line. “

http://chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.ContactForm&CFID=3590862&CFTOKEN=85920860

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK)

“The American people have been demanding that their elected officials take action to limit illegal immigration first by securing our borders, then by addressing guest worker reform. Unfortunately, this bill reversed those priorities. Rewarding illegal immigrants with amnesty without taking adequate steps to secure our borders is the wrong way to address this problem,” Dr. Coburn said.

It is important for Congress to understand that the public will not trust us on this issue until our borders are secure. “

http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorCoburn.Home

Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS)

http://www.senate.gov/~cochran/contact.htm

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, chairman of the Immigration and Border Security subcommittee,

Cornyn will be a member of the Senate-House panel (the conference committee) that will work out the differences between the Senate and House immigration bills.

"We've had weeks of constructive debate on very important issues for our nation, but I've come to the conclusion that the Senate immigration bill as written still has serious flaws and is not a net plus for our country. So I cannot support it.
"Throughout the process I have tried to improve the legislation in preparation for a House-Senate conference, where it will be improved even more. The net result must be marked improvement in border security, employer accountability, better assimilation of legal immigrants, and compensation for state expenses incurred from illegal immigration.”

http://cornyn.senate.gov/index.asp?f=contact&lid=1

Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID)

“…in order to maintain the strength of this country, we must uphold our laws. I have been very concerned about the amnesty provisions included in this measure and ultimately could not support the bill, even though there are some good provisions in it.

There has been a lot of talk about the need to secure our borders. It is time that the talk ends, and the work to accomplish this task begins. In order to get control of the illegal immigration situation, illegal entry into our country must be stopped. Getting our borders under control will better enable a workable guest worker program.”

http://crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm#form_anchor

Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C)

“We will never solve the problem of illegal immigration by rewarding those who break our laws,” said Senator DeMint. “We must stop illegal immigration by securing the border and creating a temporary worker program that does not reward illegal behavior with a clear path to citizenship and voting rights.”

“This bill fails to do that. Instead, it guarantees amnesty with only the promise of border security and enforcement. We tried the same formula in 1986, and it only made the problem worse. This puts those here illegally in front of those waiting to enter the right way, and that’s the wrong message for a nation of laws to send.”

http://demint.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home

Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)

“I have maintained that securing our borders and enforcing current laws must come first – and unfortunately this bill puts amnesty first,” said Dole. “I have consistently stated that I would support a program that provides temporary worker permits to help bring people out of the shadows. But I cannot and will not support granting amnesty to those who have broken our laws and entered this nation illegally.

“In addition, this bill contains a number of provisions that just defy common sense, such as allowing illegal immigrants who fraudulently use a U.S. citizen’s Social Security number to accumulate and collect benefits from an already tight Social Security trust fund!

http://dole.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.ContactForm

Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND)

Dorgan, who tried to strike provisions out of the bill that would allow millions of addition low-wage replacement workers into our country to take American jobs, said that he believes the bill undercuts American workers and completes the corporate strategy of exporting good American jobs to China while importing cheap labor from Mexico.

“The two certain ways to shut off illegal immigration is to have effective border security on the one hand, and to have tough, effective sanctions against employers who hire illegal workers on the other hand.

“All of the discussion is about immigration with almost no discussion about what this means to American workers who are struggling with lower wages, less healthcare, and fewer pension benefits,”

Senator@dorgan.senate.gov

Senator John Ensign (R-NV)

“I have many reasons for voting against this bill but the granting of amnesty to those who have committed identity theft and the rewarding of benefits for that illegal act is the most egregious,” Ensign said. “We should not grant illegal immigrants special consideration to which legal immigrants and American citizens are not entitled.”

http://ensign.senate.gov/forms/email_form.cfm